Kyra and the Swordstress Pt. 05

"But I am no knight," Scarlet replied. "Why me when you have your royal guards? Surely any Turracher knights would be better suited to protect your daughter than a mere slave girl."

"My trust in my royal guard wanes with each passing day. Marcus, however, I trust with my life. And he trusts you. So, I trust you. Besides that, you have something else to offer that may be a benefit in these uncertain times. Discretion."

Scarlet cocked her head, unsure of what he meant by that.

He explained, "You are a woman of an age that you could appear to be another one of my daughter's handmaidens. A useful disguise, to be sure."

"You want me to be a handmaiden?" Scarlet laughed with disbelief.

"I want you to be by her side. It is not a responsibility that should be taken lightly. Should you agree to the task, I expect you to protect my daughter's life with your own. And besides that, yes, you will cater to my daughter's needs as a handmaiden would, behaving in a courtly manner, dressing accordingly, and tending to all her needs."

To be suddenly lofted into the retinue to the duchess of Turracher seemed to Scarlet a joke if not a dream. But to be both protector and handmaiden was an insurmountable task. Sure, she knew how to fight, and yes, she was once a princess, so she knew she could pick up courtly manners quickly, but she had been a lowly house servant for too many years, and just because she was successful against one assassin, did not mean she would be successful against another. She might have been lucky as far as she knew. But despite her doubts, there was one undeniably enticing benefit of taking on such an offer: she would get to be near Lady Mirela.

"I will do as you wish, my lord," she finally answered.

"Then bend your knee."

She went to a knee.

"Do you vow fealty to my house and pledge to uphold its honor?"

"I do."

"Do you vow to fight with courage and unyielding commitment against all comers?"

"I do."

"Do you vow to protect the Duchess of Turracher with your life?"

"I do."

"Then rise, Lady Scarlet, as Guardian of House Turracher and slave no more."

Scarlet shuddered. She wept. She felt a sickness of tremendous excitement in her body. She wanted to jump up and hug the duke, but by the time she had collected her wits, he had already left without speaking another word.

Marcus remained. He went to her. She hugged him, tears watering her eyes. He hugged her back. "Well done," he said. "He did not stand a chance against you."

"Thank you," Scarlet whispered through all her thoughts and emotions that swirled in her mind. She let them swirl for a moment longer, basking in pleasant vertigo. When her mind coalesced into a more rigid reality, she released her hug and gave Marcus a skeptical glare.

"Did he know?" She asked.

"Know what?" Marcus replied innocently.

"That you were training me."

Marcus smiled.

"Remember that night when you first came to me all those years ago?"

Scarlet nodded.

"It was not my plan, at first, to train you. I did not believe then that it would do for you what you had hoped. It was the duke that insisted that I continue to train you."

"Oh... But why would he..."

"If there's anything you should know about the duke, it is that despite his loyalty to his family, he is, above all, unerring in his sense of righteousness. In any case, you have now uttered a knight's oath to protect Lady Mirela. That means your skills are now more than simply a tool for your own survival but that of others as well. That is a tremendous responsibility, my lady, so it will be my honor to continue your training."

Scarlet breathed out. She stared down at the sword in her hand. It was a beautiful sword with intricate details in its design. Flowers and birds etched delicately into the hilt. Plush, black-dyed leather on the grip. It was a light and well-balanced sword, with a polish that remained untarnished and a sharp edge that had not been blunted in the duel. And oh, how it sang as it cut through the air! Surely an enchanted sword.

As she admired it, she realized that she shouldn't be holding it as it did not belong to her.

"The duke forgot his sword!" she gasped. She offered it to Marcus. Marcus pushed it back to her.

"He did not. Nor is it his sword. The sword is named 'Al'ranil.' 'Song of the Desert Night,' in the old language of Neresh. It belonged to my father, who wielded it in the defense of Aqba during the great siege. And it belonged to his father, who wielded it in the war of the five kings. It belonged to me and served me well in the crusades. Generations of my blood it protected, and now, I pass it onto you. I trust that it will serve you as well as it has served me. Tomorrow, you will be presented to Lady Mirela as her guardian. It is a big day. It would therefore be wise for you to get a good night's rest."

Scarlet hugged Marcus once more, then, tightening her grip on Al'ranil, she said, "how about one last duel before bed?"

Kyra woke, head spinning confusedly. Sweat wetted her hair against her head. She wiped the sweat away and sat up and found herself in her cot on the Rose Narcissa. Sybil was in the cot next to hers, her snoring a gentle buzzing.

It was a dream. Only a dream.

Yet it felt more than that. It felt like a memory. Like her very own memory. And the emotions she had felt, they continued to linger within her in waking, and the dream did not fade from her mind as most dreams normally did.

"Scarlet," she whispered to herself as she rubbed her brow.

The dream was so lucid. It felt so true. She never had one like it before. Could it have been what she had always heard about? Could it have been an aether-dream?

No, it couldn't be. Why would she aether-dream of Scarlet, the rapscallion that betrayed her? She was simply delirious. That was it.

She put her head back on her pillow and shut her eyes. Still plenty of sleeping left to do. But it was hard to sleep. When she felt the emotions elicited by a dream that seemed to be memories that were not her own. Lady Mirela flashed through her mind, and in her chest, she felt overwhelming love. And overwhelming sadness.

How could she sleep when so much love and so much sadness swirled in her heart and mind? What crazy things to feel right now.